Elgin makes good OE replacment stuff, never seen anything in performance usage but do you think that valvespring would work on our Vortec heads??? If so it would be a nice replacment. I was just browsing around and came across it. Any ideas?

Beehive Spring - 1.055/1.290 O.D. LS1, LS6 engines p/n 26915 and 26915 are drop in replacements for the L31 head, these springs you are looking at have a 1.26" OD measurement. By the OD measurement they should fit, but it would be nice to see what the inside diameter is.
If you use the stock keepers and retainers you will still need to machine the Vortec ehads to get the lift over 0.475" at the valve. Its the retainer to valve seal clearance that is the issue here.

The installed height of 1.800" due to its retainer and its locks are what allow the Beehive spring come to get 0.550" lift on a Vortec iron head with no machining.
peace
Hog

Tue Apr 04, 2006 8:53 am

RamAirZ

Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 224
Location: Pensacola, Fl

thanks HOG. Ya I have been looking at the beehive springs from crane. 10309-1 retainer and spring kit. If these springs have an installed height of 1.800 they would work then?

The Beehive springs I personally was referring to were from Comp Cams.

According to 2 or 3 people the 1.800" installed height will work, but there are some folks who would disagree. The Compcams 26918 and 26915 Beehive springs have been installed on Iron L31 Vortecs with success, you must use a different retainer than the LS1/6 guys use as the valvestem dia. is differnt between the GEN 1E and the GEN 3 engines.

I am hesitsant to give these Ebay springs a go ahead, but they do seem to check out as far as the OD goes, again it would be nice t see teh ID as the Vortec head have an unusually large diameter that the spring must fit over.

Yes I beleive they will work, it sas they will fit a 1994-99 Lt1 350 iron head with no machining. The iron Lt1 was made from 1994-96 in the Impala SS
I think someone here actually runs these if I am not mistaken.